Shameem Akthar, yogacharya trained with the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Center, takes you through five poses that will help in controlling digestive ailments.

In yoga, for digestive problems most asanas are helpful. You may however have to avoid them when there is an inflammatory condition like ulcer or any perforated condition of the digestive tract.

In fact, to have a gentle yoga practice when you have a digestive problem will soothe the stomach. Even where poses are suggested that apply pressure on the abdomen, care must be taken not to press down into them, but to hold the poses lightly.

Including soothing pranayama practices like seethali (cooling breath) and the alternate nostril breathing (anulom vilom) are also helpful. The most soothing practice, in yoga, for healing digestive disasters, including inflammatory conditions, however is the passive practice of meditation. A ten-minute meditation, lying supine in the corpse pose (shavasana) or as in the crocodile pose (makarasana) will be the best therapy.

In yoga, apart from actual incidents of food poisoning most other ailments are tracked to psychosomatic causes or life-style mismanagement. Having a regular meal schedule, giving sufficient gap between eating and exercising/or sleeping, waking up early, eating dinner early, are some simple tips to maintain a healthy gut.

For more of Shameem's yoga writings visit http://jaisivananda.blogspot.com. Shameem's second book Yoga in the Workplace, with photographs by ace photographer Fawzan Husain, is now available at online shops and bookshops across the country. It is also available as e-book, with Kindle, Amazon.

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Yoga poses to improve your digestion